Electrical conducting system



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. KRUESI.

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTING SYSTEM.

Patented July 14 INVENT OR:

N. PETERS, Fhnlo-Ulhcgnpher. Wa-hin ton. D. c,

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2.

J. KRUESI.

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTING SYSTEM. No. 322,385. Patented July 14, 1885.

N. PETERS. PhotnLiihognpher, Washingmn, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()EEICE.

JOHN KRUESI, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL CONDUCTING SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 322,385, dated July 14,1885.

Application filed November 20, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN KRUEsI, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings andState of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inUnderground Electrical Gonducting Systems, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is to provide an economical and efficientsystem by which tele graph-wires or the wires of telephone systems maybe laid underground, in which system, while the conductors are wellinsulated and well protected from moisture and other injur ousinfluences, the separate conductors or branch circuits therefrom canreadily be run oft from the main collection of wires at a great numberof points, and while a large number of conductors are laid closetogether so as to occupy but little space, the eifects of inductionbetween such conductors shall be obviated; and my invention consists inthe novel devices and arrangements employed by me in accomplishing theabove-named objects, as hereinafter fully set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams illustratingthe mode of interweaving the conductors to neutralize induction. Fig. 3is a plan view of the coupling and junction-box employed in my system,with the upper half of the box removed; Fig. 4-, a longitudinal verticalsection of the same box; Fig. 5, a view of one of the wire-supportswithin the box Fig. 6, an end view of a tube containing the conductors,and Figs. 7 and 8 are sections of moisture-proof connecting devices forbranch wires which may be employed.

In carrying my invention into effect, referring first to Figs. 3, 4, 5,6, and 7, any suitable number of conductors a a, each of which is aninsulated wire, and each of which is preferably the metallic portion ofa ground-circuit, are massed together in iron tubes A A of a suitablesize and length. A collection of wires somewhat longer than the sectionof tubing which is to contain them is drawn through a suitable die,preferably of hexagonal form, and so crowded into a hexagonal mass whichis drawn through the tube-section, the number of wires being such as tonearly fill the tube, and the bundle of wires being first wound spirallywith rope to hold it centrally in the tube. Wooden collars or pings Z),tightly inserted in the ends of the tubes and surrounding the wires,hold them in position longitudinally. The ends of the wires project fromthe tube, and are there separated or caused to diverge, though remainingin hexagonal form, as at c c. The ends of two adjoining tube sectionsare connected by means of a couplingbox, which consists of twolongitudinal halves, an upper one, B, and a lower one, 0. Tubeopeningsare provided at the ends of the box, each opening forming a sphericalsocket, and upon the tubes are clamped spheres or balls 0 e, which restin the tube-openings, forming ball-and-socket joints, and permit thetubes to enter the box at a slight angle, either vertical or horizontal.This feature is set forth in my Patent No. 275,776, dated April 10,1883.Near each end of the box is placed a hexagonal SUPPOIlLlllg-(llsk, D,the box having grooves or slots at f f, in which the disks are insertedand held upright. These disks have each a hexagonal series of apertures,as shown, in sufficient number to receive the wires to be supported bythe disk. The wires entering the box at one end are twisted orinterwoven within each box, as represented at g, according to a systemwhich will be presently explained; and all the wires at both ends arethen threaded through the holes in the supporting-disks and carriedtoward the middle of the box. Here each pair of meeting wirescorresponding in position are bent out together at right angles towardthe sides of the box, and the ends of the pair are connected togetherpreferably by placing around them and soldering to them metal sleeves hh. Thus continuous conductors, extending through the box from onetube-section to the next, are formed.

The pairs of wires bent out toward the sides of the box are supported bythe hexagonal disksi i, which are held in slots is k. These disks differfrom the disks D, which are made in one piece, in being built up ofgrooved slats Z Z. The lowermost slat, 1, being placed in position, thelowest layer of the paired wires is laid in the grooves in the upperside of the slat, and another slat is placed above them. It is evidentthat by thus bringing the wires out to the sides to connect themtogether such connections are much more readily and. conveniently madethan if it were attempted to connect the ends of a large number of wiresall mas :ed together in the middle of the box. \Vithin each box,however, a certain number of wires h, instead of being brought out tothe sides of the box, are bent up toward the top thereof, so that branchor service conductors can be taken off. In a telephone system in which awire is run to each telephone only wires coming from one direction arebent up, and thus a certain number of lines end in each box, thesuccessive tube-sections then containing lessening numbers of wires; orin a system in which telephones, signal-boxes, or other instruments arearranged in series the two meeting wires are brought up together andcarried together to the respective terminals ofthe instrument; or wiresfrom both directions may by my system be readily brought to the sameinstrument, whereby a subscriber may be connected to two stations inopposite directions from him.

As shown in the drawings, the ends of two wires are in each case broughtup together, and two wires are shown in Figs. 7 and 8 as taken oiftogether. However, the two wires may be left projecting, and a newsubscriber connected to either or both of them, as desired, and, asstated, certain wires are so left in each box. To separate and supportthese upright wires, the insulating-strips m m are laid horizontally,the wires passing through the grooves n in these strips, and such stripsare held in position by the square frames 0 0, placed above them. Theseframes are ofsuch thickness that the topmost one comes in contact withthe 'llange j) on the under side of the upper half of the box. From theends of the wires h wires are taken off, as has be n just explained, atsuch points as desired along the line, such wires passing through theholes 1 r in the upper half of the box. A suflicient number of wires arebrought up at each box to meet any future demands for branch wires orconnections which are likely to arise.

After the wires have been arranged in the box as abovedescribed, the boxis filled to about the point indicated by the dotted line a: 00 with afusible insulating material in a liquid state, which becomes solid whenit cools, such as an asphaltum compound. The ends of the wires 71/ hproject above the insulating material, so that connections to them canbe readily made. In making such connections the branch wires s 8,preferably incased in a lead tube, t, have their ends soldered to theends of two of the wires h, and the leadeovered wires are then passedthrough the aperture 1, which is closed moisturetight by a device suchas is shown in Fig. 7 or in Fig. 8.

InFig. 7 thelead-covered wires pass through a sleeve, a, whose sc1*e'\\tli1"ca(le(l end a is screwed into the aperture. Sleeve 1; is theninserted in the larger end ofa, bearing against the internal flange, w,and this is surrounded by the external sleeve, :1 whose shoulder z bearsagainst shoulder a of sleeve v. The whole is then secured tightlytogether by the flanged screw-tlu'eaded plug 7 and a moisturetightjointis thus formed The device shown in Fig. 8 is in some cases preferred. Inthis the wires are surrounded by a tube, 1/, of brass or other metal,whose larger end is screwed into the aperture, the tube tapering, asshown, toward its outer end, and here it is fastened to the lead tube tby a wiped joint-that is, by the mass of solder, s. This also provides amoisture-tight junction. After the box is filled with insulation, theinner cover, 01;, is bolted to the box, as shown, a rubbcr gasket, 10,being placed between the box and cover to make the jointn'ioisture-tight. The outer cover 12 is then placed in position, afterwhich the trench in which the tubes and boxes are laid may be lilled up.

To destroy orneutralize the inductive action between the numerous wiresof the system, I have devised a method of interweaving the wires in theboxes, so that in no two successive tubes will the wires in the bundlehave the same relative positionsthat is, for no more than the length ofa tube-section, which is preferably twenty feet. This mode ofinterweaving is illustrated diagrannnatically in Figs. 1 and 2.

The hexagons in Fig. 1 each represent one of the hexagonalsupporting-disks in a junctionbox, while the tubes are supposed to belocated in the spaces between them. The course of six wires througheleven sections of tubing is indicated, each wire being represented by adifferent kind of line.

In preparing the sections of tubing, the first disk of each box isdivided, or supposed to be divided, by lines 1" r into three equalparallelograms, the cental hole being outside of all three. Suppose livewires, after pasiing through the lirst tube, enter respectively the liveholes of the top row of the lirst hexagon of the l'irst coupling-box. Asindicated in Fi 2, the wires before they reach the first hexagon of thesecond box-that is, at the point 1 Figs. 3 and i, of the boxareinterwoven, so that the first wire (No. l) enters the second hole in thecorresponding row of the second box hexagon, the second enters the lasthole, the third the third hole, the fourth the first hole, and the lifththe fourth hole. If, as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, thesame system of interweaving were continued in box after box, theposition of the wires would change for four tubes, but they would thenreturn and pass through a tube in the same position as at first. This,therefore, does not give a snflicient number of changes, and hen .6 Ihave adopted the system shown in Fig. 1.

The parallelograms or diamonds in to which each hexagon is divided areeach composed of four rows,each row containing live holes. The wirespassing through the live holes of the first row of any diamond may beinterwoven, as in Fig. 2 5 but to give a greater variety of changes thehexagons are successively given a sixthturn in either direction, so thata diamond of different position relative to the angles of the hexagon isbrought into position at each box, or the diamonds break joints, so tospeak. Take the second hexagon, for example. Here the diamonds intowhich the hexagon is divided are shown in.full lines, while those whichwould be brought into cor responding positions'by giving it asixth-turn, or, in other words, the corresponding diamonds of the nextdisk are indicated by dotted lines. This may be better understood byfollowing the course of one of the wires-that shown in full line, forexample. In the first box or first hexagon this is in the first hole ofthe first row of the upper diamond. In the next hexagon it is changedaccording to the plan of Fig. 2, so that it isbrought to the second holeof the same row, it being evidently unnecessary to change the positionof the diamonds for the first interweaving. If the next hexagon were notturned, this wire would now pass to the lasthole of the same row; butthe change in position of the hexagon brings the wire into anotherdiamond, indicated by the dotted dividing-lines in the second and thefull ones in the third hexagon, and in this diamond it is in the lasthole of the second row, counting always from the left, and it istherefore broughtstill following the plan of Fig. 2-to the fourth holeof the same row of the third hexagon; but this is the first hole of thesecond row of the dotted diamond, (third hexagon,) or of the fulldiamond in fourth hexagon, and so in the latter it is brought to thesecond hole in the second row, which is the fourth hole, third row, ofthe dotted diamond, and brings the wire to the first hole, third row,full diamond of fifth hexagon. This is the third hole of the third rowof the dotted diamond of the fifth and full diamond of the sixthhexagon, and as the third wire does not change it comes to the same holein sixth hexagon. It is unnecessary to change the middle wire, as thoseon all sides of it are changed. Being now in the first hole of the thirdrow, dotted diamond, of the sixth hexagon, it comes to the second hole,same row, full diamond of the seventh, which is the middle hole of thelast row of the dotted diamond, and therefore brings it to the same holeof the eighth. This is the second of a dotted-diamond row, so the wiregoes to the last of same row, ninth hexagon, which is the middle hole ofthe dotteddiamond row, and brings the wire to the same hole in the tenthhexagon. The wire has thus constantly changed its position, and at thesame time all the wires have, as represented, changed theirs, and thewires may thus he run an enormous distance without the wires in thebundle ever resuming their original relative positions, whereby theinduction between the wires cannot be set up to any injurious extent.

The particular plan of changing the wires between the holes ofcorresponding rows (shown in Fig. 2) is evidently not the only one whichcan be employed. Any symmetrical or systematic plan may be used, thoughthat which furnishes the greatest number of cnan ges is evidenti ypreferable. Of course, with disks employing a greater or less number ofholes a different plan must be adopted 5 but the system of breakingjoints by turning the hexagons is, it is evident, applicable in allcases. The hexagonal form for massing the wires is advantageous not onlyin permitting the employment of this system of mixing or interweavingthe wires, but because the wires can thus be placed in smaller compassand more closely packed together than in any other form. Branch wiresare readily taken off at every twenty feet, or less if it is desirableto make the tubes shorter. Thus the system is especially applicable fortelephonelines, a large number of lines being laid and several wiresbeing left projecting above the insulation at each box, so that when itis desired to make connections for new subscribers they can always bereadily made at a point close to that of the service desired, and bybranching off the ends of two meeting wires, as shown, the subscribercan be connected upon the line in both directions at once.

The system is very readily put into use. Each tube-section may beprepared at the shop, with the ends of the wires projecting from it ateach end and passed through the supportin g-disks, being previouslyinterwoven at one end, and the tubes may then be laid in the boxes andthe wires brought out at both sides and to the top, and there connected.By bending the wires out in two directions, only half the mass of wiresis encountered at one time in making connections, and the ends of allthese wires are separated by passing through the supports, and are inconvenient position for joining, instead of being all together in onemass in the center of the tube, as heretofore, where it is exceedinglydifficult to reach and handle the wires in the center of thecloselypacked bunch.

In consequence of the well-protected situation of the wires and of thosefor branch connection being all separate from the rest and above theinsulation, the mass of wires will ordinarily never have to bedisturbed.

What I claim is l. The combination of separate sections of tubing, eachinclosin g a group of wires, couplingboxes joining said sections, withinwhich boxes the wires are bent laterally and caused to diverge, andseparating-supports for holding the ends of said laterally-bent wiresapart, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of sections of tubing, each inclosing a group ofwires, couplingboxes joining such sections, within which the wires arebent laterally for connection, separating-supports for the wires wherethey enter the box, and separating-supports for the laterally-bent ends,substantially as set forth.

3. In an underground electrical conducting system, a series of tubes,each inclosing a number of wires massed closely together in regularhexagonal form, in combination with coupling-boxes connecting saidtubes, within which the wires are interwoven, substantially in themanner described, and the wires of the two tubes are connected together,substantially as set forth.

4. Theeoinbination of the hexagonal mass of Wires and the supports, eachhaving a hex- Io agonal group of apertures, said wires being interwovenfrom row to row of the hexagons, and each succeeding hexagon being givena sixth-turn, as described, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 1st day of November, 1884.

JOHN KRUESI.

Witnesses CHARLES BUZZER, J OIIN LANGTON, Jr.

